Easy Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are known to be a hassle to make from scratch. That is why I have created this fool proof soft and chewy sugar cookie recipe. You don’t have to roll out the dough. No need to chill the dough either. Just combine all the ingredients in a bowl, scoop and bake. Then top with you favorite toppings. You can make 5 different cookies from this one dough. I love adding cream cheese frosting and festive sprinkles on top of mine.

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Why you will love this recipe

• Do you love the soft sugar cookies from the grocery store but hate the artificial taste and ingredients in them? Then this sugar cookie recipe is for you. They taste extra buttery & chewy but are made with real ingredients that you can name and know.
• The cookies can be baked and decorated in less than 30 minutes. I bet you can even wash the dishes within that time slot too. It is a very easy recipe to make with no fuss. Only delicious results!
• No mixer is required. Just a large mixing bowl, whisk and rubber spatula is all you need to make the dough.
• It is a very versatile cookie dough. You can make 5 plus different cookies from this one dough. Add sprinkles, M&M’s, roll in cinnamon and sugar, dip in chocolate, top with cream cheese frosting, have fun and make the cookies your own.
• The recipe can easily be doubled to make a larger batch. If doubling the recipe use 1 egg and 1 egg yolk. I typically get 35 cookies from a double batch.

Ingredient Notes

If you want to bake the best tasting sugar cookies ever then make sure to purchase quality ingredients. Quality in ingredients make a huge difference in taste and texture.

• Flour: I recommend using an all purpose flour like King Arthur Organic All Purpose White Flour. It will add more structure to your cookie and give a more chewy texture.
• Sugar: It really does not matter what brand of sugar you use. It wont affect the texture or taste of the cookie. I just prefer using organic sugar in all of my recipes because I know it has been minimally processed and contains some nutrients. It is a just a personal preference.
• Butter: Buy grass fed butter if you really want the cookies to stand out! It adds the richest buttery notes while giving the cookies an enticing aroma and taste, allowing them to be the star at the dessert table.
• Vanilla Extract: Use pure vanilla extract. Not the stuff that has caramel color and vanilla flavoring. Yuck! I promise you can taste the difference. Purchase a vanilla extract that is only vanilla beans in alcohol. That is the good stuff! I get mine from Simply Organics or the large bottle at Costco.

Recipe Variations

• Roll the cookies in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar to make delicious snickerdoodle cookies from scratch. Or use 1-2 teaspoons of Watkins Chai Spice instead of cinnamon for spiced chai sugar cookies.
• Add in 1/2 cup of M&M’s to the dough. I like the Unreal Chocolate Gems that have no artificial dyes. Then top each warm cookie with more chocolate candies. You could use mini chocolate chips or cinnamon chips too.
• Frost the cookies with my Cream Cheese Frosting recipe from my Cut Out Sugar Cookies post. You can use Watkins Artificial Dye Free Food Coloring if you want the icing to be a different color besides white.
• Dip each cookie half in melted chocolate and sprinkle the chocolate dipped cookie with your favorite candy. I like using crushed candy canes during the holidays.
• Add 1/2 cup of sprinkles to the dough for festive birthday cake cookies. I love Watkins Artificial Dye Free sprinkles or sprinkles by Supernatural.

How To Make the Cookies

1. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then line two baking trays with parchment paper sheets and set aside.
2. Next in a large mixing bowl add melted butter, oil, granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Mix until combined.
3. Then mix in the egg yolks and vanilla extract.
4. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch and salt with a fork.
5. Now pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and with a rubber spatula fold everything together until just combined. Stop mixing the moment the last bit of flour disappears.
6. If you want any mix ins like M&M’s, sprinkles etc. stir them in now.
7. Grab the cookie sheets and begin to scoop the cookie dough onto the baking trays. I think a 2 oz cookie scoop works best. Place no more than 9-12 dough balls onto a pan at one time. If you would like to roll your cookies in sugar do so before baking.
8. Bake the cookies at 350 F for 9-12 minutes until soft and lightly golden brown around the edges.
9. Use a circular cookie cutter, slightly bigger than the cookies to shape the warm cookies right when they get out of the oven. You can skip this step. It just helps the cookies to be perfectly round.
10. Cool the cookies completely and frost and decorate them if you choose.
11. Store any leftover cookies in an airtight container on the countertop for up to one week. Or freeze for up to a month.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cookies, easy to make, No rolling, Small batch, Sugar, Zero chill time

Easy Soft & Chewy Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are known to be a hassle to make from scratch. That is why I have created this fool proof soft and chewy sugar cookie recipe. You don't have to roll out the dough. No need to chill the dough either. Just combine all the ingredients in a bowl, scoop and bake. Then top with you favorite toppings. You can make 5 different cookies from this one dough. I love adding cream cheese frosting and festive sprinkles on top of mine.

Servings: 14 cookies

Equipment

• 1 Mixing bowl
• 1 Measuring Cup Set
• 1 Rubber Spatula
• 1 Cookie Scoop
• 2-3 Parchment Paper
• 2 Baking Sheet

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter melted
• ½ cup granulated sugar plus ¼ cup more for rolling the cookie dough
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt only add 1/4 teaspoon of salt if using salted butter
• ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon avocado oil or olive oil
• 1 ⅛ cup all-purpose unbleached flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot powder

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two standard baking trays with parchment paper.
• In a microwave safe bowl or a small saucepan melt the butter. This should only take about 30 seconds.
• In a large mixing bowl add melted butter, oil, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar.
• Mix until fully combined and the sugar dissolves into the butter, about 2-3 min.
• Add two egg yolks, the vanilla extract and mix until combined.
• In a separate bowl add the dry ingredients and give them a quick mix with a fork.
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold the ingredients into each other until the last bit of flour disappears.
• Place 1/2 cup of mix ins like M&M's into the dough at this time if choosing to do so.
• or In a small bowl add ¼ cup of granulated sugar.
• Using a 2 oz cookie scoop, scoop the dough and roll into the granulated sugar until all sides are coated.
• Place the sugar-coated dough ball onto one of the parchment lined baking sheets.
• Repeat this process until you have 9-12 cookie dough balls on a baking tray at a time.
• Bake the cookies at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 9-12 min.
• Cool the baked cookies and then frost and decorate them if you would like to.
• Enjoy the cookies fresh or place any leftover into an airtight container on the countertop for up to a week or in the freezer for up to one month.

Notes

• • To make snickerdoodle cookies add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 cup of sugar to a bowl to roll the unbaked dough balls into before baking. If you want spiced chai cookies use 1-2 teaspoons of Watkins Chai spice instead of cinnamon.

• • If wanting a classic sugar cookie with cream cheese frosting simple frost the cooled cookies with my classic cream cheese frosting recipe. Recipe for the frosting is located in my “Cut Out Sugar Cookie” recipe.

• • For candy cookies add 1/2 cup of  your choice of M&M’s, sprinkles, cinnamon chips or chocolate chips to the dough along with the dry ingredients. Then bake as directed.
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  • Feel free to dip the cooled cookies in melted chocolate as well. I like dipping mine in dark chocolate and sprinkling with crushed candy canes during the holidays.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!